


Let The River Lead You Home (Wherever That May Be)

by raendown



Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 Drabbles [47]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 04:50:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21350524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/pseuds/raendown
Summary: They met at the river for the first time and for the last time.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Original Female Character(s)
Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 Drabbles [47]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533161
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	Let The River Lead You Home (Wherever That May Be)

He’d been watching her for ten minutes before he stepped out from behind the tree, curious to know whether she truly hadn’t noticed his presence or if she was simply trying to fool him in to thinking so. Judging by how high she leapt off the ground and the very high- pitched shriek of fright Itachi guessed that she really hadn’t noticed him after all. Although he wasn’t really a sensor type he was already battle-trained and he knew the difference between a shinobi’s chakra and the formless sensation of a civilian’s untrained natural chakra. This girl was not a fighter.

Itachi immediately felt bad for frightening her, casting about for something nice he could do to make up for it.

“Your rocks aren’t making it very far,” he pointed out. “Would you like me to show you how?”

“I know how to skip rocks!” she said, sticking out her tongue.

“But I know how to do it better. See, like this.” Itachi bent down to select one of the stones under his feet, hefted it a few times, then tossed it across the lazily flowing river.

His companion watched the rock skip several times with eyes narrowed in concentration. When it plunked down in to the water at last, nearly all the way over on the other side, she nodded decisively and turned to him with both hands on her hips.

“Teach me!” she declared and Itachi smiled.

It became a tradition of sorts. Spending his afternoons on the riverbank with Tsubaki quickly became the only time when he truly felt like himself. His first impression had been right, she had indeed been born in to one of the civilian clans, but Tsubaki never seemed to look at the amazing things he could do with any sort of jealousy. She applauded his accomplishments and watched his fancy jutsu with awe in her gaze but when asked if she wouldn’t like to learn those things too she would shake her head. The Haruno clan already had one shinobi in the making apparently. Tsubaki was content to stay at home and learn the family business.

Several years after they met for the first time they met for the last time on the bank of that same lazy river. Itachi stood behind a tree and watched her tossing rocks, memorizing the shape of her against the deep golds and reds of a beautiful sunset. When finally he approached she didn’t jump. She’d gotten used to way he appeared and disappeared a long time ago.

“You have the look of someone with terrible news,” she noted instead of greeting him.

“I…you may not see me for some time. I have to go.” Itachi reached out to brush the back of her hand with his own. “There are some things that I have to do but I would not burden you with them.”

“Be careful,” was all she said. Something in her eyes told him that she understood even though he wished she didn’t. There was a sadness in them but also acceptance. More than anyone else in the world Haruno Tsubaki knew him, knew that he only ever did what he thought was right for their village.

For a moment he couldn’t force himself to speak. It took effort to pry his jaws apart and say the one thing he wanted her to remember above all others. “Your friendship has been important to me. Thank you. I just wanted to say thank you.”

Tsubaki nodded, turning her hand to catch his own for a brief squeeze. Then she turned back to the river and bent down to pick up another rock.

When she straightened Itachi was gone but Tsubaki did not look back just as she knew that he would not look back. He’d said he had things he needed to do and she trusted that whatever happened next would be necessary in some way. Perhaps not right and perhaps not good because she knew enough of shinobi business to know that their motivations were not always right or good but she knew Itachi. She knew her own sister. And she knew that for some the ends would always justify the means. Itachi was not _her_ end.

But she wished he could have stayed all the same.


End file.
